PELEG: ĆUDIĆ SPREADS HATRED TOWARDS JEWS

SARAJEVO, FEBRUARy 9 /SRNA/ – The Ambassador of Israel to BiH, Galit Peleg, says that the racist and antisemitic rhetoric of the Our Party leader, Sabina Ćudić, and the spreading of hatred towards Jews encourage divisions and provocations, thus undermining bilateral relations.

Peleg cited in a statement that if BiH wants to be part of Europe, it must say no to fascism, Islamophobia, and xenophobia, must also stop using antisemitic terminology and narratives -without exception. "It is particularly discouraging to witness time and time again how local politicians exploit attacks on Israel as a means of improving their position in local politics. Such rhetoric fosters divisions and provocations instead of promoting dialogue, and at the same time undermines the type of bilateral relations that a progressive European country would strive to promote," Peleg said, reacting to Ćudić's statements today. She has added that it is deeply disturbing to hear "racist and antisemitic accusations being so casually and publicly made," especially just two weeks after Holocaust Remembrance Day. "Ćudić speaks extensively about Islamophobia, rightly so, because hatred toward any group must be condemned. However, it seems she has no difficulty in spreading hatred towards Jews. This double standard cannot be ignored," Peleg emphasized. She reminded that the Jewish community in Sarajevo is small today, largely consisting of Holocaust survivors and their descendants. "A once proud and progressive community has been reduced to one that feels compelled to hide Jewish symbols out of fear of hostility, precisely because of the views and statements that you promote," she added. Peleg asked what values Sabina Ćudić specifically means when she speaks about "European values”; does she mean those values that were advocated during the notorious 1940s of the previous century? "History has, at an unbearable cost, taught us where demonization, dehumanization, and antisemitic language can lead. She speaks about the bodies of children. Had Mrs. Ćudić, as Milorad Dodik did, decided to visit Israel, she would have seen personally young Israelis -Jews, Muslims, and Christians who were killed, tortured, and kidnapped by those whose 'humanitarian rights' she so passionately defends," Peleg pointed out. The Israeli Ambassador to BiH concluded that European values are not selective and cannot be applied only to politically convenient targets. Today, Sabina Ćudić, commenting on the meetings between SNSD leader Milorad Dodik and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said it is "not difficult to meet with Mr. Netanyahu's office - you just have to be ready to step over the bodies of children first".